Natsuhiko sat atop the ruins, breathing heavily. His eyes never left the motionless figure of Otsutsuki Urashiki lying not far away, his expression filled with vigilance.
An Otsutsuki… He had actually slain a genuine one—and one who possessed Kekkei Mora, no less.
Although, just as he himself had said, he did not feel much pride. In the end, this Ōtsutsuki Urashiki had truly been too weak.
But killing someone like this still made Natsuhiko genuinely happy. However, while feeling happy, he also had no choice but to remain extremely alert.
The Ōtsutsuki were true gods in this world. They almost possessed endless lifespans, as well as unimaginable strength.
Most importantly, through his earlier conversation with this guy, Natsuhiko seemed to have guessed that they actually possessed a technique that allowed them to revive if they accidentally died.
Therefore, now that the corpse of an Ōtsutsuki was lying in front of him, he had to be careful.
Even though Natsuhiko had used Truth-Seeking Balls, Yin-Yang Release, senjutsu, and Tailed Beast power—abilities that could genuinely inflict real damage on an Otsutsuki—he still didn't know whether his guess about the so-called "Kārma " was correct. Nor did he truly understand how that wedge worked or how it was applied.
If not for the fact that this corpse still held enormous value to him, and because he doubted that something like Fire Release could do them any real harm anyway, Natsuhiko would have unhesitatingly blasted the body with Fire Release to reduce it to ashes, just to confirm the kill. That would have been the safest choice.
"Still, his heart has already been pierced. I've kept my distance the whole time and monitored his movements and chakra. He shouldn't have been able to leave behind any contingencies."
After learning that there was a technique capable of transforming a person's body and power into an Ōtsutsuki, and that it was very likely the key to reviving oneself, Natsuhiko remained alert at all times.
He did not want to finally deal with an enemy with great difficulty, only to somehow discover that he was going to become the enemy.
Or rather, if his own body ended up becoming the enemy's "vessel," then that would truly be a tragedy beyond ordinary measure.
Fortunately, judging from the current situation, Natsuhiko still had no problems. Nothing extra had appeared on his body, and he had not been covered by any chakra product.
As for Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, he had completely collapsed in place without moving at all. From the look of it, Natsuhiko had truly won this life-and-death battle.
"Natsuhiko!"
Two voices suddenly rang out behind him. Hearing them, Natsuhiko felt himself relax even further.
The newcomers were Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama. These two were true allies, and Natsuhiko felt relatively at ease with them.
"Hashirama-senpai, Tobirama-senpai."
Natsuhiko slightly turned his head. Even his voice was very soft now, showing that he was truly extremely exhausted.
"Are you all right?"
Senju Hashirama quickly came to Natsuhiko's side. He himself looked extremely battered now, but he was still very concerned about Natsuhiko's current condition.
Senju Tobirama was also looking at Natsuhiko with concern, but after confirming Natsuhiko's condition, his gaze shifted to Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, who had fallen not far away.
He had personally witnessed Natsuhiko fight and defeat his elder brother, so he had a relatively clear understanding of Natsuhiko's strength.
But now, he felt that he had still underestimated Natsuhiko's power. According to the information they had read on the moon, Natsuhiko had killed a god-like existence this time.
Had Natsuhiko's power already reached this level? Could he actually kill an existence like the Sage of Six Paths?
And what exactly was going on with this god? It was not that he doubted this guy's strength. After all, he had already witnessed it earlier.
He was only curious about what kind of life this so-called god truly was, and curious about all the secrets hidden inside this god's body.
"I am fine. I just consumed a little too much. Thank you for your concern."
Natsuhiko spoke in a slightly weak voice. After pausing for a moment, he continued and asked.
"Right, how is Konoha now? Nothing went wrong, did it?"
"Konoha is still fine. We evacuated very quickly, and with your protection at the final moment, no major problems appeared.
"However, there should still be casualties. After all, the aftermath was so great, and the range it covered was so wide."
Senju Hashirama did not mention his own contribution. To him, protecting Konoha was something he naturally had to do. As the First Hokage, it was not worth mentioning at all.
However, he truly did not know the exact casualties inside Konoha, because after everything ended, he had rushed over in a hurry.
But thinking about it, the casualties should not be too great. After all, both he and Natsuhiko had protected Konoha very well.
Still, it was impossible for there to be no casualties at all. No matter how well they protected it, under the impact of that kind of aftermath, some unavoidable things would still happen.
Although Senju Hashirama did not want something like this to happen, he was still very rational.
After all, he had experienced the most chaotic era in the entire shinobi world, and the number of people who had died by his hands was countless. Naturally, he could not have any naive thoughts in this regard.
"We should wait for the statistics after we return."
Natsuhiko helplessly shook his head. This could already be considered a very good result.
The civilians had been evacuated in advance. Any shinobi who tried to join the fight had been stopped by Senju Hashirama's barrier. The battle's aftershocks had largely been blocked by their combined efforts. The result was truly outstanding.
Looking at the devastated state of the unprotected areas—the once-lush forests and towering mountains that had completely vanished, replaced by canyons stretching who knew how far, nearly bottomless—the fact that Konoha could still stand steadily amid this wasteland was nothing short of a miracle.
"Anyway, it's all over now. And we got a pretty good result, didn't we?"
Natsuhiko stood up with some effort and completely deactivated all his chakra modes.
The moment he did, he nearly lost his balance. He was truly exhausted.
Senju Hashirama reacted instantly and steadied him, while simultaneously releasing his own power to help Natsuhiko recover. He knew his strength was little more than a drop in the bucket compared to Natsuhiko's current state, but it was better than nothing.
"Thank you."
Natsuhiko smiled faintly and nodded to Senju Hashirama. Then his gaze turned toward Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's corpse.
Only now did he begin to consider how he should get good things from this guy's body.
Putting other things aside, with the experience from Ao's Byakugan, Uchiha Fugaku's Sharingan, and the White Zetsu body.
Natsuhiko's targets were clearly Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's eyes and flesh. If his luck was good, these two things could definitely provide Natsuhiko with unimaginable benefits.
However, planting them required time, and it was also an unusual gamble that depended on luck.
If his luck was good, he would become rich in one wave. If his luck was bad, he would need to slowly endure it.
If it was only the flesh on his body, then everything was still easy to discuss. After all, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki had quite a lot of flesh, and Natsuhiko could take a little at a time and place it into the tree for planting.
But this guy only had one pair of eyes. In fact, Natsuhiko also found it very strange. Weren't Otsutsuki supposed to have three eyes?
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had one on her forehead, and Uchiha Madara was the same after fully becoming an Ōtsutsuki. Even Momoshiki had eyes on his palms.
But the guy before him seemed to really only have one pair. This made Natsuhiko somewhat troubled, because it meant he had less room for trial and error.
Even though this guy seemed able to change his eyes instantly and activate different abilities, what he used was still the original pair of Byakugan.
Therefore, Natsuhiko could only make one decision. For long-term and stable development, aside from using the system's planting ability to obtain what he wanted.
He also needed Senju Tobirama to use his own ability and properly help Natsuhiko study this guy's specific situation.
Putting all the eggs in one basket was never a good choice.
When there were enough conditions, it was better to separate the eggs. That way, there would be no need to worry about being helpless if some irreversible problem appeared.
"Natsuhiko, what do you plan to do with this guy?"
Natsuhiko wondered if Senju Tobirama could read minds. He had barely finished organizing his thoughts when the man spoke.
"How about this? We can properly study this guy. After all, his power is far too terrifying.
"And according to what those people on the moon said, he is of the same clan as that world-destroyer and the Sage of Six Paths.
"Perhaps through research, we can understand the secrets inside this guy's body.
"After all, this guy came to the shinobi world, and he did not seem to have any goodwill toward it.
"And we also have no way of knowing whether other similar people will come to the shinobi world in the future.
"Therefore, I think we should make some necessary preparations to prevent certain things that might happen, things that would definitely become tragedies."
Speaking to this point, Senju Tobirama paused slightly. Then he looked at Natsuhiko with great seriousness and said.
"In the shinobi world, only you can deal with this kind of guy. If there is only one, perhaps it is still fine, but if there are more…"
"I agree with your idea, Tobirama-senpai."
Natsuhiko had no intention of opposing him. Senju Tobirama had basically said what Natsuhiko himself was thinking, so why would he oppose it?
However, there was one thing he had gotten wrong, and this thing could seriously damage their confidence. Natsuhiko had to raise their morale.
"We do not know whether people like this will come in the future, but this kind of guy truly has no goodwill toward any life in the shinobi world.
"Therefore, we must make the necessary preparations. Only then can we deal with the crises that may happen in the future.
"However, Tobirama-senpai, you are wrong about one thing. I am not the only one who can deal with him.
"In terms of absolute power, I am actually far inferior to this guy, but in the end, the one who defeated him was me, and the one who died was him.
"Hashirama-senpai, Tobirama-senpai, you might as well think about it. Why did such a situation happen?"
Natsuhiko did not hesitate at all to admit his own lack of strength. Facing this kind of Ōtsutsuki, even admitting that he was not strong enough was nothing strange.
But even if they were not strong enough, it did not mean everyone had no chance. His current situation was an example.
Natsuhiko's words also made Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama freeze for a moment. Then the two of them could not help beginning to think.
One of a ninja's greatest combat strengths was to carefully think about and analyze every situation, thereby obtaining all kinds of information that could support victory.
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama were both outstanding in battle, and their ability to think was also absolutely at the peak of the shinobi world.
After only a moment, both of their faces could not help showing stunned expressions. They seemed somewhat unable to believe everything they had thought of.
"You mean…"
Senju Hashirama spoke somewhat hesitantly. He still seemed somewhat unable to believe what he had thought of.
"This guy is very strong, but because his strength is so overwhelming, he fights purely by brute force and lacks technique?"
"You might as well just say he has no combat experience."
When Senju Tobirama heard Senju Hashirama's words from the side, he could not help shaking his head before speaking coldly.
After speaking, he turned his gaze toward Natsuhiko, seemingly asking for confirmation on whether his and his elder brother's view was correct.
In truth, after combining all kinds of possibilities, this was the only answer they could obtain.
After all, the information they had was truly limited. If they had fought him personally, perhaps they could have understood more, but unfortunately, they had no such chance.
"That is right. Although I cannot say that all of these outsiders are like this, at least the one I encountered was."
Natsuhiko spoke calmly and slowly. He properly explained the situation of the person he had encountered to the two of them.
"This guy's tactics and combat skills were truly equal to nothing. He seemed to only know how to rely on his own power and act recklessly.
"Aside from that, this guy was extremely arrogant. To put it bluntly, he was so arrogant that it had already become conceit.
"If he had truly lowered himself and attacked Konoha, he probably would not have ended up like this. But he did not do that.
"Or rather, he simply disdained doing such a thing. He believed even more that his own power could deal with a problem like me.
"So now he is dead. Saying he died by his own hands is actually not an exaggeration at all."
"So that is how it is?"
When Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama heard this, they could not help looking at each other. Then their gazes once again turned toward Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, who had fallen to the ground.
This news was indeed somewhat beyond their expectations, but after thinking about it carefully, it also seemed natural.
When strength reached that level, perhaps any tactics or techniques would no longer be useful to them. They only needed to use their own power to the greatest extent.
But there were always exceptions to everything. If they encountered someone with belief, persistence, and a certain level of strength.
Then their personality, along with their lack of combat experience and skill, would become their greatest hidden danger.
Thinking of this, their moods could not help improving quite a bit.
Even though they knew not every Ōtsutsuki would be like this, at the very least, they had similar flaws.
That meant they still had a chance to defeat these gods from beyond the sky.
After confirming these matters, Natsuhiko brought Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's corpse, along with Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, back to Konoha.
At this moment, Konoha had completely fallen into madness. After all, such a terrifying event had happened right before their eyes. How could they possibly remain calm?
Moreover, when the battle had just calmed down, they had also been very uneasy, because they truly did not know who had won and who had lost.
Even though they were full of confidence in their Hokage, after seeing everything before them, no matter how firm they were, they could not help feeling worried in their hearts.
Fortunately, the ninja of the Hyūga clan told them that the victor of this battle was their Hokage, and only then did they suppress much of the worry in their hearts.
The Byakugan could see very far, and this was definitely something worth believing. Moreover, the people of the Hyūga clan could not possibly lie to them.
The only thing they still could not feel at ease about was that they had not personally seen Natsuhiko return. "Seeing is believing" carried vital meaning in many different situations.
Fortunately, Natsuhiko did not make them wait for long. Even though he looked truly exhausted at this moment, he still caused huge cheers to erupt throughout Konoha.
Perhaps on this day, every ninja who had remained in Konoha experienced what it meant to survive a disaster.
And it was also because of everything they experienced today that their respect for Natsuhiko, the Fifth Hokage, directly reached its peak.
To put it bluntly, Natsuhiko's prestige in Konoha at this moment was probably no weaker than Senju Hashirama's, and might even be stronger.
However, Natsuhiko didn't pay much attention to such things. Though he was glad it happened, as it related to his mission, he preferred to focus on Konoha's current situation. After all, as Hokage, he had to take good care of the village.
He was well aware that his previous concern for Konoha had mostly been centered on whether it would improve his mission completion rate. Even back when he had already become ANBU Commander and defeated Sarutobi Hiruzen to claim the Hokage seat, some things had been hard to change.
Natsuhiko himself knew he was actually quite a cold person. Perhaps it was because after transmigrating here he had never truly integrated, instead viewing everything more from an outsider's perspective. Or perhaps it was an age issue—back then everyone had been too young, and he genuinely couldn't relate.
But now everything had changed. Though his inner personality hadn't shifted much, he wasn't truly a cold person. As the people around him grew up, as he formed more bonds in Konoha, as his missions continued to progress and be completed, his attitude toward Konoha had truly changed a great deal.
He genuinely cared about Konoha now—about those closely connected to him, about its overall development, its future, and those who genuinely respected him from the heart.
Perhaps even he himself understood that he had come to treat Konoha as his own.
After all, he had poured so much effort into it. Even if his purpose had not been pure at the beginning, everything that had changed in Konoha now was related to him.
Under such circumstances, he truly could not accept Konoha being destroyed. He could not accept his efforts being ruined, and he could accept even less anything happening to the people connected to him.
As his mindset changed, naturally, the way he acted also changed. His attitude toward Konoha was naturally changing as well.
"How are Konoha's losses? Have the statistics been gathered?"
Sitting somewhat tiredly in the Hokage's office, Natsuhiko asked Kakashi while recovering his condition.
At this moment, Nara Shikaku, Kakashi, and the others had already gathered inside the Hokage's office.
Such a terrifying event had just occurred, so they naturally had to come and understand the situation. Moreover, they believed that Natsuhiko would certainly want to know what was happening inside the village.
However, when they saw Natsuhiko standing before them, they could not help but feel surprised. It was the first time they had ever seen him look so exhausted.
Even so, they understood perfectly well that his condition was only natural. After a battle that had reached such an intense level, no matter how drained he was, it would not have been surprising at all.
In the past, Natsuhiko always looked calm, composed, gentle, and refined, although only in private could people feel his coldness and cruelty.
But on the surface, his gentleness was something all Konoha ninja agreed on. Many Konoha ninja had said that meeting Natsuhiko felt as comfortable as being bathed in a spring breeze.
Natsuhiko never denied that, like a certain prime minister, he was a two-faced person. Or rather, who did not more or less wear some masks?
And only a small number of people knew his other side. Natsuhiko had still done very well in this regard.
After Kakashi and the others heard Natsuhiko's question, Nara Shikaku glanced at the people from the Uchiha side, then looked at Kakashi. Only then did he take the initiative to step forward and speak.
"Hokage-sama, Konoha's statistics are still being gathered, but as for the losses, they are not too great.
"Although quite a few houses did collapse for various reasons, casualties among the people are very low."
Nara Shikaku spoke slowly and in great detail. Although the time had been too urgent, making it impossible for him to carry out a full and complete count.
The Police Force and the ANBU had already given him a general report on Konoha's situation, and the losses this time truly could not be considered large.
Such powerful tremors inevitably caused houses to collapse. This kind of thing truly could not be avoided.
As for the losses among the people, that was truly something worth being relieved about.
Because in such a disaster, Konoha had truly not lost many people thanks to proper defense.
Aside from some unlucky people who were buried when houses collapsed, or those who unfortunately died after their internal organs were shattered by the shockwave, everyone else was basically fine.
This was the situation on the ninja side. As for the civilians, it was actually still fairly good.
Civilians were not ninja after all. They did not have chakra to protect them, and even if they hid in basements, some situations truly could not be avoided.
However, overall, it was still good. This time, civilian losses were probably around a hundred people, while the number of injured was countless.
But compared with Konoha's total population of more than a hundred thousand, the loss of over a hundred people seemed somewhat insignificant.
Of course, such a thing was still painful, and it could further stir Konoha's hostility toward that invader.
At the same time, it could also further inspire the respect Konoha's residents had for Natsuhiko, the Fifth Hokage who had protected everyone in Konoha.
Hearing Nara Shikaku's report, Natsuhiko nodded lightly. This result was already very satisfying.
Of course, he knew that some losses could not be avoided. What he could do was only reduce those losses as much as possible.
Judging from the current situation, both he and Senju Hashirama had done very well. Konoha's losses could already be said to be unbelievably good.
Natsuhiko nodded lightly, then slowly spoke.
"That is fine. The next reconstruction work will have to depend on everyone.
"Also, have the hospital act quickly. After all, there should be quite a lot of injured people. I do not want any lasting injuries or anything like that."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
All the shinobi responded loudly. Everyone knew this was a troublesome time for Konoha. It was also because Natsuhiko had become Hokage and, through the war with Kumogakure, had established Konoha's dominance. Otherwise, this wouldn't be a troublesome time but a dangerous moment.
Having suffered such a terrifying event, in the past Konoha's interior would have already descended into chaos. After chaos would come the time for hidden spies from other villages to act frantically—sabotaging or passing intelligence. Those would all be losses Konoha had to bear, and it would also be the busiest time for its various departments.
Now, although Konoha still needed to get busy, the overall pressure wasn't as great. This was definitely a good thing for everyone.
"As for coordinating the various departments, handle it yourselves. The overall person in charge is Nara Shikaku."
Speaking to this point, Natsuhiko paused slightly. Then he looked toward Nara Shikaku and continued.
"Department Head Shikaku, I'll need you to put in extra effort during this period."
"No problem, Hokage-sama."
Nara Shikaku nodded seriously, but very soon, he slightly raised his head, his expression looking somewhat hesitant.
This hesitation did not last long. Then he opened his mouth and asked.
"Hokage-sama, what exactly was the enemy this time?
"An enemy like this is far too terrifying. Since Hokage-sama fought him personally, is there any related information that would allow us to make preparations earlier?"
Nara Shikaku's words made everyone unconsciously turn their gazes over, because they themselves were also extremely curious about what exactly had happened this time.
That power, terrifying enough to make their hearts tremble, truly left them with endless lingering fear.
Although they knew that they probably could not do anything against such an enemy, as ninja, they still had to make preparations early.
Natsuhiko was not surprised that Nara Shikaku would ask him. After hesitating slightly for a moment, he spoke calmly and slowly.
"A group of people whose strength is unimaginable, but whose personalities have major flaws. A group of people who came from beyond the sky."
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